Analogously, I have also been looking to find information on the divers interesting compounds in vaginal fluid—particularly what gifts it with its physical, biochemical, and aromatic properties[*]. Wikipedia yields the following list: “water, pyridine, squalene, urea, acetic acid, lactic acid, complex alcohols and glycols, ketones, and aldehydes” Without further elaboration or appropriate citations, I take it with a crystal of sodium chloride.

Nonetheless, I’d really like to know what “complex alcohols and glycols” they are talking about, as those (along with squalene) are where I’d look first for the slippery magic. Might the likes of glycerol or propylene glycol perhaps be involved? IIRC, those are both ingredients in Astroglide (c.f. K-Y Jelly, which as you covered the other day, contains carboxymethylcellulose—probably glycerol too, from its taste). As for pyridine, if that is correct, I hypothesize we have found the source of many puerile jokes.

I have also heard that vaginal secreta may contain compounds which interact with spermatozoa in interesting ways less obvious than the hydrogen activity effects mentioned above. However, I shan’t speculate before I hit the books and read up. Search “human sperm competition” for details.

[*] Aromatic as in scent, and aromatic in the benzene-chemistry sense, per pyridine and the like. Sweet and sour!

I’m not a biologist, but you’ve explained this in a way that I can understand. Thanks